Travelling abroad with your dog

National Canine Defence League

A Dog is for Life In association with the AA A trip abroad with your dog sounds like a great THE SCHEME idea. In reality it is not quite so simple. This guide aims to help you plan a safe and trouble-free holiday If you are planning to take your pet abroad and return for you and your pet. to the UK without having to put him into quarantine, then you will need to meet the conditions laid out under the Pet Travel Scheme. The Pet Travel Scheme or is WELFARE CONSIDERATIONS run by DEFRA (The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and was fully introduced on January Travelling abroad can be quite stressful for your pet, so 31st 2001. For the most up-to-date details and an you need to be absolutely sure that your dog is healthy information pack, please contact the PETS helpline on enough to take the trip. Get your vet to give your dog a 0870 241 1710. health check before you go. If you think your dog may be ill, is pregnant or recovering from a recent operation The following conditions have to be met, and must be then it really may be in his best interests to leave him carried out (in this order) at least seven months before you behind or, if possible, to postpone your trip. plan to return to the UK from your Dogs used to a temperate climate such as in the UK holiday with your pet: can find it hard to cope with a sudden change of temperature. Think carefully before you take your pet Your dog has to be microchipped somewhere very hot or cold. Certain dogs such as (with a microchip that conforms greyhounds, short-nosed dogs (Bulldogs or Boxers) to ISO Standard 11784 or Annex or overweight dogs can have difficulties in hot weather, A to ISO Standard 11785).

although all dogs can die very easily from heatstroke. After microchipping, your dog © NCDL If you can’t be certain that your dog will be comfortable must then be vaccinated against rabies. and safe, then perhaps it would be fairer to leave him in After a suitable interval (usually around 30 days) alternative care in the UK. The NCDL recommends that your vet will take a blood sample and send it to a pet dogs should not be subjected to the stress of long recognised laboratory for testing, to ensure that the haul journeys (flights) just for a fortnight’s holiday. vaccine has worked. Please put the welfare of your dog first. You will then have to get a Local Veterinary Inspector (LVI) to issue your PETS certificate. Most small animal practices have a resident LVI. If not, they will be able to give you details of your nearest one. Your PETS certificate will then become valid six months after the successful blood test result. This period of time must elapse to ensure that your dog did not have rabies before or at the time of vaccination. You may leave the UK before this six months is up, but your dog cannot re-enter the UK until on or after the valid date filled out on your PETS certificate. The certificate will then be valid

© Animal Photography until your dog’s rabies booster is due.

2 3 An additional condition is that your dog must be treated Japan Reunion for parasites (certain ticks and a tapeworm) 24-48 hours St Helena before re-entering the UK. This means that if you are Luxembourg St Kitts & Nevis going to France on a day-trip, your dog will have to be Malta St Vincent treated for these parasites before you leave the UK. On a longer trip, your dog will have to be treated in whichever country you are in at that time, before you return. Spain (including the Canary Islands, excluding Ceuta and You will be charged for each of these steps by a vet, but it does cost significantly less than putting your dog Melilla) through quarantine (around £150-250), as well as being Singapore Netherlands considerably kinder! Sweden Switzerland New Zealand Vanuatu Eligible routes & countries Norway (excluding Vatican Svalbard) Wallis & Fortuna Not all countries are included in the Pet Travel Scheme Portugal (excluding the and you can’t just come into the UK on any route that Azores and Madeira) you like. You will need to contact the PETS helpline for up-to-date information as countries and routes may be Please remember that although it is possible to enter the added or removed from these lists at any time. UK from one of these countries with a PETS certificate, your dog may be put into quarantine on entering their Qualifying countries at time of writing - EC countries country. You may also require export health certificates and rabies-free islands or import permits in order to enter certain countries. For further information, contact the PETS helpline, or the Finland relevant Embassy or Tourist Office. France (excluding French Guyana and St Approved carriers and routes of Pierre and Miquelon) Australia entry to the UK Austria Germany The PETS applies only to England in that the approved Belgium points of entry only occur in England. Anyone trying to Greece bring a dog into the UK at any other point other than those on the approved list (regardless of whether they Hawaii possess a certificate or not) will have their pet put into Cyprus quarantine. You may travel out of the UK with your dog Iceland Denmark by any means into one or more of the countries on the Italy scheme, however, you must use one of the following Jamaica routes to return to the UK.

4 5 By air (into London Heathrow Airport TRAVEL OPTIONS AND only) – from Amsterdam (Schipol) using British Midland Airways SAFETY Brussels by British Midland Airways The mode of that you choose depends on Frankfurt by Lufthansa where you are going. Long haul journeys will require Gibraltar by GB Airways you to fly, but if your destination is nearer, you may Helsinki by Finnair choose to travel via train (the Eurotunnel) or by ferry. Larnaca or Paphos by Cyprus Airways Madrid by British Midland Airways Either of the latter two options will require you to use Palma (Majorca) by British Midland Airways your car, although some ferry companies may allow foot passengers with dogs. Always advise your carrier when Milan (Malpensa) by British Midland Airways you are planning to take your Tokyo (Narita), Osaka (Kansai) and Nagoya by dog, as there may be an extra Japan Airlines charge and some services may Tokyo (Narita) by Nippon Airways not take pets. As your pet may Valletta by Air Malta and GB Airways be confined to either your car or Paris by British Midland Airways for Guide and a travel crate during the entire Hearing Dogs only journey, make sure that your dog is exercised immediately before check-in and as soon as By sea you arrive at your destination. © David Hartley Calais to Dover using Hoverspeed, P&O Stena or SeaFrance Eurotunnel (not Eurostar) Cherbourg or Le Havre to Portsmouth using Whilst on the Euroshuttle your dog will be required to P&O Portsmouth stay with you in your vehicle at all times. The usual car Caen or St Malo to Portsmouth using Brittany Ferries safety advice applies (see below). Cherbourg to Poole using Brittany Ferries Roscoff or Santander to Plymouth using Brittany Ferry or Hovercraft Ferries Your dog must usually stay in your vehicle during the Falkland Islands (Port Stanley) to Shoreham using crossing, although some companies may offer the Jeppesen Heaton alternative of kennels on the car deck. If you are concerned that your dog may be too hot in By rail (into Folkestone (Cheriton) your car or that fumes may affect him, you should only) – from notify a crew member who should accompany you to Calais (Coquelles) using the Eurotunnel Shuttle check on him. Service (Please note that this is not the same If you are travelling in the summer, try to book your as Eurostar) journey during the coolest part of the day or consider a night crossing.

6 7 Car travel and safety you the correct dimensions of the container for your Please read our Safe travel and holidays with your dog dog’s size. Purchase your crate a while before you in the UK and Dog car safety leaflets for more plan to travel and get your dog used to it. Put your dog’s favourite blanket in it for the journey. information on car travel and safety. Only feed your dog a very light meal before travelling. Try to get a travel cage with a fixed water pot so that your dog has access to water during the journey. Don’t put any toys in the cage, as there is a possibility your dog could choke during the flight. You will not be able to visit your dog once he is in the hold. If there is a delay before or during the flight ask the captain to check the temperature of the hold. Insist on seeing your dog if you are concerned about his safety. Do not tranquilise your pet unless you have no other © Dave Portus option. Some tranquilisers can cause a significant drop in blood pressure in a pressurised hold, which Aeroplane travel and safety can be very dangerous for your dog. If your dog must This is the most complicated way to travel with your be sedated, ensure that your vet is aware of these dog. You can make all of the arrangements yourself but effects and prescribes an appropriate drug. you may want to consider using a specialist pet exporter Once you arrive at your destination you should find or shipping agent to help your trip go without a hitch your dog in his cage at the luggage reclaim area. Check (see useful contacts). with the ground staff where your pet will emerge.

Your dog must be healthy to fly. Get your dog health- checked by a vet as previously undetected heart ENSURING YOUR HOLIDAY conditions can be made worse by flying. Your dog must be at least 8 weeks of age to travel (though it is GOES WITHOUT A HITCH better if they are at least 12 weeks) although some countries may insist that he must be older than this to Get your pet some travel insurance. If your dog has enter the country. Dogs over the age of 8 should only an accident whilst on holiday abroad, you need to travel if they are very fit, or are seasoned flyers. ensure that you can afford veterinary treatment, You will need to notify the airline of your intention to emergency repatriation or care for him if treatment travel with your pet when booking so they can lasts longer than your holiday because he is too ill to reserve a space for your dog. Most airlines limit how travel. If you have existing pet insurance then check if many animals may travel in the hold. this covers travel abroad as well. You will need to put your dog in a carrier or crate Please also see our ‘Safe travel and holidays with your that conforms to IATA regulations. Your carrier, dog in the UK’ leaflet for tips to help your holiday go DEFRA or travel crate supplier should be able to give without a hitch.

8 9 LAWS WHICH MAY AFFECT with you their Kennel Club registration. Crosses of these breeds or purebred dogs without papers will not YOU AND YOUR DOG be allowed into the country. Once in France, these WHILST ABROAD breeds and Rottweilers and Rottweiler crosses must be on a lead and muzzled at all times in public. Germany – Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers Certain laws that may affect you as a dog owner will and bull terrier crosses should be brought into apply. Always check with DEFRA and the relevant Germany with extreme caution or not at all. Embassy or Tourist Board for information about dog Certain ‘large’ dogs, or other breeds such as the laws before you travel, as these can change at any time. Briard, Dobermann, Mastiff and Rottweiler may Here are some examples: need to be kept on the lead and muzzled in public. This may differ depending on which states within Laws about transporting your Germany you travel, so always check for the most dog in a car up-to-date information. Spain – All dogs must be kept on a lead in a public Gibraltar – Dogs must wear a lead. Legal proceedings place. will be taken if a dog in a car distracting a driver UK – Owners of pitbulls registered in the UK should causes an injury. check with the Home Office - 020 7273 2316 - if Italy – Dogs can be transported in cars provided that they intend to leave and re-enter the UK with their they do not distract the driver. If there are two or dogs. Non-registered pitbulls or pitbull types could be more dogs they must be kept in the rear of the car, seized and destroyed. separated from the driver by bars, or in special cages. Netherlands – Dogs must not be carried on a drivers lap. Spain – Dogs must be restrained or isolated from DISEASES the driver. Whilst abroad, your dog may be at risk from diseases ‘Dangerous dogs’ laws not normally found in the UK. If his vaccinations are up- to-date he should already be immune to parvovirus, hepatitis, leptospirosis, distemper and of course, rabies. France – You may only take a Staffordshire Bull The treatments for ticks and tapeworm before your Terrier or English Mastiff into France if you have return to the UK should cover your dog for some foreign diseases. However, check with your vet if he will need additional preventative medication for every country you enter. Your dog could be at risk from the following:

Heartworm – common in Southern France, Spain, Italy and around the Mediterranean. Transmitted by mosquitoes. Prevention is essential. Ask your vet for a preparation such as Stronghold, or visit a vet once abroad and ask for heartworm tablets. ©UNP

10 11 Babesiosis – especially common in France particularly If you are returning from a long-haul journey by air, the south of the Loire Valley. Transmitted by ticks. airline must arrange for an official seal to be put onto Preventative treatment against ticks is essential. Check your dog’s travelling container to ensure that your dog your dog’s coat every day and remove ticks has not been exposed to the risk of infection by rabies immediately. during the journey (during a stop-over, for example). Ehrlichiosis – common in southern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Rhone Valley and Finland. Unfortunately, there have been times when the PETS Transmitted by ticks. Preventative treatment is process has gone wrong, often through no fault of the essential, as for Babesiosis. owner. This can often result in quarantine for the animal Leishmaniasis – common around the Mediterranean, concerned. Problems can occur if: especially Sardinia and Sicily. Transmitted by the sandfly. Visit a vet on arrival to a country where the Your pet could not be identified properly - if his disease is prevalent, as they should be able to suggest microchip is unreadable. It is rare for a microchip to more effective preventative measures than a UK vet. stop working or to move to a different part of the This is often fatal – so avoid sandflies if possible. body. Try to make sure that your microchip can definitely be read immediately before you leave the UK. If the microchip cannot be read you may have to put your dog into quarantine for six months. You have incomplete documentation. If you lose your PETS certificate, you will have to delay your dog’s return to the UK whilst you obtain a new one from a government-approved vet in a qualifying country. You will need to prove to the vet that your © David Hartley dog has been microchipped, vaccinated and RETURNING TO THE UK successfully blood tested. Your dog was not treated properly for ticks and a tapeworm. If your pet has not been treated or was If you have followed all of the conditions under the Pet treated at the wrong time (must be 24-48 hours Travel Scheme your dog shouldn’t have to go into before you enter the UK) you will have to delay your quarantine. When you and your dog re-enter the UK re-entry, get your dog treated and get an official under PETS you must have the following certificate. If your certificate is not an official one you documentation: will have to go back to the vet that treated your dog and ask for an official certificate, or get your dog Your valid PETS certificate – check that you are treated again and a new official certificate. travelling within the specified date before you depart On a long-haul flight the seal on your dog’s container The official certificate of treatment against ticks and has been broken. If there is a problem with the seal tapeworms – you will get this from the vet at the time your dog will be taken into quarantine until you can of treatment prove that he has not been exposed to the risk of The declaration of residence – a form to declare rabies during the journey. The company which that you have not taken your dog outside of the transported your pet should be able to give you the PETS countries. evidence you need.

12 13 QUARANTINE Quarantine Abolition Pet exporters/shipping Fighting Fund (QUAFF) agents and container 01243 264173 suppliers If your dog has to go into Airpets Oceanic quarantine or you are Eurotunnel 0800 371554 travelling into the UK from a 08000 969992 www.airpets.com country not on the PETS you www.eurotunnel.co.uk may want to read our Chilworth Pet Exports factsheet entitled Choosing a The Automobile 023 8076 6876 quarantine/boarding kennel. Association (AA) www.chilworthkennels. DEFRA will supply you with © Steve Morgan 0800 444500 freeserve.co.uk a list of licensed kennels. The quality of quarantine www.theAA.com kennels varies enormously and the most expensive does Par Air Livestock Shipping not necessarily mean the best. Most of them follow a 01206 330332 voluntary welfare code, but there will be statutory Pet travel companies and www.parair.co.uk welfare standards laid down in the near future. In the information meantime QUAFF (Quarantine Abolition Fighting Fund) websites keeps a register written by its members from their Pet travel insurance personal experiences of using quarantine kennels and Dogs away Animal Friends Insurance this should give you an indication of the type of care 020 8441 9311 0870 444 3438 that your dog will receive. www.dogsaway.co.uk www.animalfriends.net

If you want to take your dog with you on holiday, it is Eurotours DCT Travel your responsibility to ensure that he enjoys himself as 01273 883838 020 8522 3424 much as you do. If you are concerned that he may not www.eurotours.co.uk be able to cope with the climate change, then it may be E & L wiser to leave your dog in the UK. If you decide to take Paws4Travel 08707 423710 your dog with you, this leaflet should help you and your www.paws4travel.co.uk www.eandl.co.uk hound have a safe and happy holiday. Petplanet Petplan www.petplanet.co.uk/ 0800 0727000 USEFUL CONTACTS & petplanet/travel www.petplan.co.uk

FURTHER INFORMATION Pets Will Travel RapidInsure www.petswilltravel.co.uk www.rapidinsure.co.uk Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) helpline 0870 241 1710 www.maff.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/PETS Travelpets 020 7499 4979 Microchip scanners Pet-id The Department for Environment, www.travelpets.net 0800 731 3356 Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) 020 7904 6000 www.pet-id.net www.defra.gov.uk

14 15 For more information or advice on this or any other dog related subject, or if you would like to support our vital work with a donation, please telephone or write to:

NCDL, 17 Wakley Street, London, EC1V 7RQ Email: [email protected] Tel: 020 7837 0006 or visit NCDL online at www.ncdl.org.uk

For details of your nearest NCDL Rehoming Centre please call 08457 646 000

The NCDL is working towards the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction.

The AA, with more than 11 million members, is the UK’s biggest motoring organisation and a leading voice in road safety. Our aim is to make road travel as stress-free, accessible and safe as possible. For UK and European drivers, the AA’s Internet service www.theAA.com provides traffic information, route guidance, motoring advice, international driving permits and motoring travel insurance. AA Five Star Europe personal travel insurance includes free cover for emergency veterinary and boarding fees while driving with dogs and cats on the Continent.

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